International Youth Eco-Camp 2024 in Uzbekistan — recap

On June 24-30, 2024 in Uzbekistan, I had the opportunity to participate as a delegate from Tajikistan in the International Youth Environmental Camp, which brought together young leaders and activists from Azerbaijan, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkiye, and Uzbekistan.

In this post, I will share the highlights of the camp and the insights gained from the participation.

The Camp was organized as a pre-COP29 event to provide young people with an opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience. It was a platform to provide recommendations for extending the Regional Strategy on Promoting Sustainable Development Culture and Engaging Children and Youth Climate Agenda signed in 2023 to more countries, as well as to develop prototypes of the regional climate initiatives.

Part 1. June 24-26, Samarkand, Silk Road University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage.

The first three days of the program mainly focused on writing recommendations for the Regional Strategy on Promoting Sustainable Development Culture and Engaging Children and Youth in Climate Agenda signed in 2023 (link to the strategy). The sessions also focused on a preview of COP29, which will be held this fall in Azerbaijan. We discussed the work of international, regional, and local youth climate platforms such as YOUNGO, COY, RCOY, and LCOY. There was also a brief COP simulation, in which I participated for the first time. Upon my return to Tajikistan, I am eager to organize this simulation game.

As part of our program, we visited Registan Square, where we learned about the rich history and cultural heritage of Central Asia and the Silk Road.

Another tour took place in the Zarafshan National Nature Park, which is located on 2 thousand hectares of land alongside the Zarafshan River. During the tour, we learned about the actions taken by the Uzbek government to preserve and propagate the Tugai Forest (which grows only in Central Asia!), the Royal Bukhara Deer, pheasant, fox, badger, porcupine, and other Red-listed fauna and flora of the Zarafshan River valley. On this tour, we were joined by the First Lady of Uzbekistan, Ziroat Mirziyoeva.

One of the most important insights for us was that the Uzbek Zarafshan National Nature Park located along the Zarafshan River ends at the border of Tajikistan. Now, the Uzbek and Tajik governments are discussing the creation of a common nature park along the Zarafshan River between the two countries. In this way, animals would be able to move freely between borders, which would create a favorable environment for them to live and multiply.

Part 2. June 27-30, Tashkent, Green University — Central Asian University of environmental studies and climate change.

The main focus of the program in Tashkent was to develop a Statement from the youth and children of Central Asian countries + Azerbaijan, Hungary, and Turkey for COP29.

This Statement we wrote consisted of messages to the states of our region with 4 calls:

1. Realization of children's inalienable right to a healthy environment.
2. Expansion of meaningful participation of children and youth in climate change processes.
3. Strengthening the potential of children and youth through continuous “green” education and formation of environmental culture.
4. Ensuring that education policies at pre-school and school levels are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

The full Statement is still being finalized, and I will share a link to it soon.

We have also developed a Stakeholder's Map of government agencies and civil society organizations involved in climate, water, and environmental issues in Central Asia, Azerbaijan, Hungary, and Turkiye. This database will be further used for collaboration and implementation of programs under the Regional Strategy.

As part of the program, we had a tour of the Institute of Materials Science under the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan. We got acquainted with the work of the Institute and were surprised by the scale of the construction of the Solar Laboratory — Solar Oven. It contains granules of refractory metals pressed into briquettes and subjected to melting at a temperature of 3000 degrees Celsius. In the world, there are two similar facilities: one in France and the other in Central Asia.

The unique base of the Institute allows conducting multipurpose observations of the Sun, to engage in theoretical and experimental research. All this invaluable knowledge will help to understand the origin and evolution of the Sun and the Solar System, and, most importantly, to study the impact of solar radiation on the Earth's climate, on humans, and their environment.

We also had the opportunity to visit the National Art Gallery of Uzbekistan and participated in the pavilions of the International Youth Festival, which was taking place at the same time in several regions of Uzbekistan.

The camp finished with a Cultural Evening, where the participants presented and demonstrated cultural aspects of their countries, and awarding of certificates. On June 30th, on Uzbekistan Youth Day, we participated in the final concert at Humo Arena and a gala dinner to celebrate the end of the International Youth Festival 2024.

Part 3. Insights

This Youth Eco-Camp was organized in cooperation with the Zamin Foundation, UNICEF Uzbekistan, the Youth Agency, the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change, the Ministry of Preschool and School Education, UNDP, and FAO. The overall project was managed by the young specialists of the mentioned entities. This is a very impressive example of collaboration between the government, civil society, youth, and international organizations, and I think this experience should be studied for implementation in Tajikistan.

Among the participants of the camp, we were the only representatives from non-Turkic countries, and because of this, we faced great interest in our culture and history from the other participants. Having represented the country as an official government delegate, I was overwhelmed with a sense of responsibility and pride when I heard Tajik speak in Samarkand or when I presented our rich history. I am glad that I met such beautiful people who gave me inspiration and energy to work for our future.

I have high hopes for the further signing and implementation of the Regional Youth and Children's Strategy on Climate Change. Furthermore, I hope our statement will be heard by the governments at COP29 as a foundation for change in youth policy, education, and decision-making processes on climate and environmental issues.

Central Asia is very young as well as its population, which is based on children and youth. Young people are brave, they demand knowledge and opportunities, they demand change. I believe that the camp participants will continue their climate action and that only jointly we can create a bright future where no one will be left behind!

In the end, I would like to thank the organizers of the International Youth Eco-Camp 2024 and the UNICEF Tajikistan team for the opportunity and support!

Check the Instagram Reel here!